1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to automatic paint stirring equipment and, more particularly, to an improved drive member for such equipment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Automatic paint stirring equipment of the type commonly found in automotive paint shops typically comprise a rack adapted to removably receive and support paint cans. The paint cans, furthermore, include a cover which extends across the top of the paint can. A stirring element is rotatably mounted to the paint can cover. The stirring element typically includes a paddle contained within the interior of the can as well as a driven member positioned above the paint can cover.
The paint can rack is designed to removably receive and support the paint cans once they are positioned within the rack. In one previously known type of automatic paint stirring equipment, horizontally extending shelves are provided across the rack for supporting the bottoms of the paint cans.
Once the paint can is positioned within the rack, the driven member of the stirring assembly is mechanically coupled with a drive member mounted to the rack. This drive member mounted to the rack, furthermore, is rotatably driven by a motor contained so that the rotation of the drive member mechanically engages the driven member on the stirring element so that the stirring element and drive member rotate in unison with each other.
In one type of previously known driven member, the driven member comprises an arm having two upwardly extending pins. The pins are equidistantly spaced from the center of rotation of the stirring element. Thus, once the cans are inserted into the rack, the pins stick upwardly from the top of the cover on the paint can.
In order to rotatably drive the driven member, a generally planar drive member is secured to the shaft rotatably mounted to the rack above the paint can. The drive member is positioned to fit in between the upwardly extending pins of the driven member so that, upon insertion of the paint can into the rack and rotation of the drive member by the drive shaft, the drive member rotatably drives the driven member with its attached stirring element.
One disadvantage of the previously known automatic paint stirring equipment is that, in order for the drive member to engage and rotatably drive the driven member, it was necessary that the paint can be accurately positioned on the rack such that the axes of rotation of both the drive shaft and driven member were coaxial. Otherwise, the drive member would simply push the driven member together with the paint can to one side such that the drive member disengaged from the driven member.
In order to achieve the coaxial alignment between the axes of the drive member and driven member, is has been the previously known practice to attach centering guides to the rack shelf such that, upon insertion of the paint can into the rack, the guides automatically center and align the drive and driven members together.
While the previously known method for aligning the axes of the drive member and driven member is effective in operation, the guides that are attached to the shelf interfere with the efficient cleaning of the shelf of paint and other debris. In order to completely clean the shelf, it has been necessary to actually remove the guides from the shelf, clean the shelf and then replace the guides. More commonly, however, paint and other debris merely accumulated around the guides which were left on the shelves during the shelf cleaning.